NH F&G Game Programs Supervisor Andrew Timmins Knows The North County Well

Moore Outdoors

Oct 13

By Gary Moore

Long time wildlife biologist Andrew Timmins is well known in the North Country as he was assigned to the Lancaster office of New Hampshire Fish and Game for many years. He was promoted to Game Programs Supervisor for the Wildlife Division in 2022 and transferred to the Concord headquarters.

Timmins lives in Littleton with his wife Diane who is Fish and Game’s Inland Fisheries Division Chief. They both have over 30 years with Fish and Game.

In a wide ranging interview for my program on WYKR, he provided much information about game species in the Granite State and how they are managed.

A New Hampshire native, he grew up in Louden and received both undergrad and masters degrees from UNH. He grew up hunting and continues to do so including grouse hunting the day before our interview.

After receiving his undergraduate degree, he was assigned to the Keene office and split his time between fisheries and wildlife. He had wanted Ted Walski’s position as wild turkey biologist.

The opportunity to go back to grad school paid for by the Department was too good to give up. The result was that he became the bear biologist and was assigned to Lancaster.

As Game Programs Supervisor, Timmins oversees all nine game species biologists. His management job requires him to be in the office much of the time but he still manages to get out in the field a bit, something he greatly enjoys.

As bear season has been open since September 1, we started our species conversation there. He said the bear population is strong statewide except in the southeast.

We talked about the many issues involving bears that dominate news accounts and local gossip. The Department, biologists and conservation officers alike, spend a lot of time addressing conflicts and trying to increase human responsibility. He stated, “Getting everyone on the same page in a community is difficult.”

I learned that New Hampshire pays farmers for bear damage. That requires a lot of work to determine the amount of damage and make sure it was caused by bears and not raccoons or beavers for which they do not pay for.

He said it used to be when the mast crop was poor, corn was targeted. Now corn is favored every year creating more work.

The department encourages hunters to be cognizant of females with cubs. He said we should take the time to see if the bear is alone or if cubs are following.

We next talked about deer which he said was, “The most sought after game species in New Hampshire.”

The population is over goal in most of the zones. As a result, they have increased the number either sex days to control growth.

Game management is science based but he pointed out that “Social aspects play a role in management.”

He said, “There are a lot of deer on the landscape but there is also a lot of food. It will be interesting to see how this season goes.” He added, “Hunters will have to figure out where the deer are and what they are feeding on”

The state has a very liberal 92 day archery season which is popular. Two years ago a change was made to allow crossbows in half the WMUs, mostly south of the notches where the deer are over populated.

We also talked about muzzleloader season which opens October 31. It is the season I most often hunt in New Hampshire as I enjoy the fall temperatures much more than I do those of December when the Vermont season is held.

I asked about the special arrangement the Department has with the Town of Hanover. The deer management program is the only one in the state and allows the town to issue archery permits to attempt to reduce the deer population that is preventing many from having gardens or shrubbery and affecting forest regeneration.

He pointed out that the program is a “complicated thing” but that the town does a lot of the work.

Expect changes at deer check stations this fall as they work to prevent Chronic Wasting Disease from affecting the deer herd. They used to sample brain stems but will now ask if the hunter will allow them to let lymph nodes taken which requires slitting the throat. Those that agree will be entered in a drawing for some prizes.

CWD is a grave threat to deer and all the New England states are working hard to keep it out. One way is to use synthetic lures only. Another is to check what to do before bringing game back from out of state.

No sportsman wants to be responsible for causing the destruction of the deer herd.

Timmins will be found staffing the biological check station in Swiftwater where he will get to talk with hunters and get their opinions on a wide variety of topics.

Moose once seemingly everywhere in northern NH are now encountered much less frequently as is the case in all the northern tier states.

Because of the low numbers New Hampshire only issued 35 permits this year.

He told me, “Things will be changing significantly next year.” The shift in management focus will be based on improved physical condition with permits allocated based on changes in conditions over time in the core moose range which is in the north. The plan is to, “Reduce density to a point ticks do not have a major impact.”

In the south, the issue is mostly habitat and very few permits will be issued.

Time was limited or we could have gone on talking hunting and game management for hours. We agreed to continue at a future time so stay tuned.

Report Hunting And Fishing Violators

Vermont Fish and Wildlife and New Hampshire Fish and Game encourage the public to help protect the wild resources by reporting wildlife crime during the fall hunting seasons and throughout the year.

New Hampshire asks, “If you are aware of poaching, trespassing, destruction of property, littering, or theft, please call Operation Game Thief immediately. If you see someone taking an over-limit of fish, shooting an animal out of season, shooting from the road, or leaving trash in an area where they have been hunting or fishing, let Operation Game Thief know about it.”

You can report violations to Fish and Game’s Operation Game Thief online by visiting www.wildnh.com/ogt or by calling 1-800-344-4262 anytime.

You can also use your mobile device to send anonymous tips by downloading the huntregsapp by visiting the Google Play or iTunes App stores. Confidentiality is guaranteed. Rewards are paid for tips that lead to arrest or citation.

Vermont urges those who witness violations to call the toll-free hotline: 1-800-75ALERT,-800-752-5378). The line is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to report wildlife violations.

Call anytime the violation is in progress or time sensitive. You can remain anonymous. You do not have to give your name if you do not want to.

You can also go to: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/contact/report-a-violation.

Operation Game Thief is a joint non-profit program sponsored by the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and administered by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

Col. Justin Stedman said, “Poachers steal the opportunity for others to legally hunt and fish and may create an unfairly negative impression of hunting and fishing with the general public. They may also target threatened, endangered or nongame species. We appreciate this partnership with the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs to help us catch and prosecute poachers through Operation Game Thief.”

If you witness a crime and file a report in either state, include as much of the following information as possible: date, time, and type of violation, vehicle description and license plate number, road or route name, travel direction.

Bits and Pieces

Tune in to WYKR 101.3 FM or 1100 AM on Thursday at 6 p.m. for The Outdoor Edge. Thoughts on the Out-of-Doors airs as a segment of the program on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month.

My guest will be Andrew Timmins, Game Programs Supervisor for the Wildlife Division of New Hampshire Fish and Game.

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New Hampshire’s annual moose hunt is October 17–25 this year. Thirty-three permit holders were drawn in the lottery, randomly selected by computer from a pool of more than 5,900 applicants. Also, one charitable permit each was issued to the New Hampshire Wildlife Heritage Foundation and the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation’s Dream Hunt Program.

In 2025, New Hampshire hunters had a statewide success rate of 72% with 23 moose harvested.

The state’s first modern-day moose hunt took place in 1988, with 75 permits issued in the North Country. At that time, New Hampshire was home to about 1,600 moose. Today, New Hampshire has about 3,000 moose.

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New Hampshire’s youth deer weekend is Saturday and Sunday, October 24–25. It is the perfect time to take a young person hunting. This special weekend gives youth aged 15 and younger the opportunity to go deer hunting with an adult mentor without the pressure of competing with adult hunters. Accompanying adults must be licensed hunters and are not permitted to carry a firearm.

In 2025, young hunters took 375 deer during the weekend, a slight increase from the year prior.

Becky Fuda, Deer Project Leader said, “Mentoring a young person can remind hunters why they started hunting and help preserve these traditions in New Hampshire. It can be very rewarding to teach a young hunter to find and track deer and, hopefully, to harvest and field dress one as well.”

***

The feds are planning to close the White River National Fish Hatchery in Bethel.

Vermont’s congressional delegation and both senators from New York, wrote a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Brian Nesvik last Wednesday urging him to keep the White River hatchery open.

The hatchery, designed to support the Atlantic salmon restoration of the Connecticut River, opened in 1984 and was severely damaged during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 before reopening six years later. Since then, it has helped raise lake trout and Atlantic salmon, along with other aquatic species such as crayfish and mussels.

The hatchery is one of two in Vermont, with the other being the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery in North Chittenden. In the letter, lawmakers said the Eisenhower hatchery is already overcrowded and would struggle if it had to take on extra responsibilities.

“We respectfully request that you stay the decision to put the facility on inactive status,” concludes the letter, “and brief our staff on your plans for the hatchery not later than October 30, 2026.”

***

Vermont Fish & Wildlife has stocked trophy-sized brook trout and rainbow trout averaging 13-14 inches into four ponds and one stream in southern Vermont this fall. Unfortunately, none are in this part of the state so you will have to take a drive if you want to fish for the beauties.

“We’re stocking more than 2,000 one-and-a-half-year-old trout between Knapp Ponds #1 and #2 in Cavendish, Lakes Paran-North Bennington and Shaftsbury in Shaftsbury in Bennington, and East Creek in Rutland,” said Lael Will, a fisheries biologist with the department. “This is a great opportunity for anglers to spend time fishing for some really nice stocked trout and, they can continue right through the winter, catching trout in waters where late season trout fishing was not an option before.”

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Ducks Unlimited is seeking volunteers to help with hands-on wetland restoration work this Thursday, October 15, at the Willoughby Lake Road Restoration Site in Barton.

Volunteers will join Ducks Unlimited conservation staff from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to install approximately 1,500 willow live stakes as part of the next phase of restoration at the site.

The volunteer effort builds on significant work already completed at Willoughby Lake Road. Approximately 13,000 trees and shrubs were planted at the site earlier this year, and recent construction addressed erosion and other habitat needs.

The event will take place rain or shine. Participants should wear long pants, long sleeves and closed-toe shoes or boots suitable for uneven ground. Volunteers should also bring lunch and water.

The restoration site is located near the intersection of Willoughby Lake Road and Hunt Lane in Barton.

For additional information, contact Annika Kuleba at akuleba@ducks.org.

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Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on October 17, 1947: “Very warm spell of Indian Summer weather pushed thermometers to 88° in Bellows Falls, and 87° in Chelsea, VT.”

Parting Shots

Monday marked the start of the 50th year for this column. It all began October 12, 1977 when this column first appeared in the Journal Opinion. In 49 years, I have never missed a week, 52 a year, thanks to the many readers who have provided me support and encouragement.

Help me make it a half century by providing tips, advice and criticism.